The Complementary Pair
by myraah
Summary: It is a truth, universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife. Or, at least that's what Jane Austen says. Hi guys! Here's another crossover I'm writing, this time about Pokemon Ranger: Shadows of Almia and Pride and Prejudice! I don't own either! Wish I did though, because they're awesome!
1. Netherfield Base!

**Welcome one and all!**

**If you have ever read any of my other fanfics (eek! Does that mean I have a fan?), then nice to see you again! Well, kinda. I can't exactly see you...**

**If not, hi! It's always nice to see new readers!**

**Alrighty then. Who loves Pokemon?**

_***cue large group of cheering fans***_

**Okay, then! Who loves Pride and Prejudice?**

_***cue another large group of super obsessed people***_

**Why not both?**

_***cue Myraah jumping frantically alone, cheering the idea***_

**Well, I hope there are more readers who shall join me in that third one!**

**Anyways, I did promise a new chapter to Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: A True Friend, but I found myself lost yet again. So I set up the start for a new fanfic, one I hope will have you all interested!**

**Even if you haven't read Pride and Prejudice, I'll be taking out the formality and such so you don't have to know the classic to get what's going on here. So just sit back and enjoy!**

In a part of the world where peace reigned and joy flourished, a region named Almia, a family lived happily together. This family, the Bennet family, enjoyed the peace in their small town of ChicoleVillage, as well as the friends around them. Although some amongst them wished for better things…

Almia was a region home to the northern rangers, some of the first to come around. Children of all ages dreamed of becoming rangers when they grew old enough, and some made their dreams come true.

Kate Bennet had done so only a year after her elder sister, Luana had. She had also been assigned to the same base as her sister, and the two had gotten really close in the years they worked together with Barlow, their base leader. Occasionally they would visit ChicoleVillage and their family from time to time, catching up with what was going on around.

One of these times, the girls readied themselves for the trip, not knowing what was to be expected. Wendy Bennet, their mother, was extremely excited to see them back, but left them to do as they pleased while she turned her attention to her husband, Sven Bennet.

"Sven, have you noticed our daughters being somewhat lonely, even when they are off doing their ranger jobs?" She asked him.

"Not really. They seem to enjoy each other's company," Mr. Bennet replied, not looking up from his paper. "Besides, the jobs keep them busy, so there's no reason to feel lonely."

Kate, realizing she was being talked about, called Luana over, and the two sat quietly by the door, listening to the conversation.

"Oh, but I'm sure they do feel lonely, without a partner. Don't you?"

"Again you've asked, Wendy. And again I'll tell you they seem fine to me."

Mrs. Bennet seemed rather annoyed. "Well, anyways, did you know they've finished up Netherfield base?"

"Have they now?" Netherfield base had been an ongoing project in Pueltown. With the rapid growth in the number of rangers, new bases had to be opened.

"Yes! Our neighbor Mrs. Long went visiting Pueltown and found out!"

Sven returned to his newspaper. Wendy groaned.

"Don't you want to know who's going to work there?"

"You want to tell me," Sven replied casually, "And I have nothing against hearing."

"Some famous rangers from Fiore are going to work in the base!"

"They're names?"

"Well, I only know of one of them. His name is Crawford Bingley."

"Does he have a partner? Or does he work alone?"

"Oh, no partner, I'm sure! What a wonderful thing for the girls!"

"How so? How can it affect them?"

"Oh, Sven, don't be so dense! You know I'm considering their partnering up with our girls!"

Luana looked uncomfortably over at Kate.

"Hey, what are you girls doing?" The duo looked over to see their other three sisters, Charlotte, Linda, and Lavana. Kate put her fingers to her lips in a "shh" motion, and all five huddled closely towards the door.

"Is that why they're moving to this new base? To partner up with our girls?" "Oh, Sven, don't be ridiculous! Of course not! But it's possible they could fall in love with them. So you ought to visit the base as soon as possible!"

"I see no reason for that. You may go with the girls, if you want, or send them by themselves. In fact, that might be better, seeing as how they might find you to be the prettiest of them all."

Wendy looked at her husband, then curled strands of her hair with her finger. "Oh, that is so sweet of you Sven! But, you really should think of the girls. I do have my fair share of good looks, but what about them? You have to visit these rangers as soon as they come into the neighborhood."

"I don't think I want to," Sven replied flatly, flipping the page of his paper with keen interest.

"Oh, but think of your girls! Mrs. Lucas is determined to go just because of that, and you know how she is with newcomers. Her daughter isn't even a ranger!" Wendy took a deep breath, and regained herself. "You have to go. We can't if you don't."

"I'm sure they would be very happy to see a retired ranger visit them. In fact, I may send a few words in for my Kate, to send with you."

Yet again, Luana looked over at Kate, who blushed severely. Behind them, Lavana and Linda giggled ferociously.

"No you won't. Kate isn't as pretty as Luana, nor as fun-loving as Lavana. I don't see why you put all the preference on her."

"It's not like the girls have much in their favor anyways," Sven remarked, placing down his paper. "They are carefree and silly like most other girls, though I think Kate has a bit more sense."

"Oh, Sven, how can you be so cruel to you girls? You are too mean. You have no compassion for my nerves."

"Oh, I have lots of respect for your nerves." Sven said sarcastically, walking towards the door. Kate panicked, trying to jump up and run off so her father wouldn't know she'd been spying. Unfortunately, all her siblings, had the same idea, and with the little space between them, they all fell atop one another when the door creaked open.

"What are you girls doing?" Sven asked, chuckling after realizing.

Sven had planned on visiting the base when he'd heard of it's completion, but he didn't want his wife to know, for a joke of sorts. In fact, she didn't find out until after the visit had been payed.

Kate sat silently, fixing the cuff of her ranger jacket, when her father came in.

"I hope Crawford likes it, Katie," he said quietly.

"Well, we're not going to find out, are we? Especially not if you won't visit," Wendy grumbled. Trying to find someone to let her anger out on, she noticed her fourth daughter, Linda, coughing fiercely.

"Linda, have some sympathy! My poor, poor, nerves. Must you cough in a way that hurts them?"

"Linda doesn't care when it comes to coughing," Sven teased. "She times them at bad moments."

"No, I don't," she whimpered, coughing again. Wendy looked over towards Lavana.

"Lavana, honey, when is your next party?"

"Two weeks," Lavana replied, fixing her lipstick with mirror in hand.

"I see," Wendy cried, "and by then the rangers will have moved in, so there isn't much chance of my girls meeting them!"

"Oh, I'm sure not. You would have to go visit yourselves, and I know you wouldn't do that, right Charlotte? I know you are one who has a knack for reading and such. You think your mother would visit?"

Charlotte looked confusedly from her father to her mother, trying to think of something clever to say.

"While Charlotte is thinking, let's talk about Crawford Bingley again."

"I am sick of him!" Wendy cried, her face turning a light shade of pink.

"Oh, I see. I wish you'd told me. I wouldn't have gone to visit him! Oh," Sven smirked, "but I have. I'm afraid we can't escape meeting him now."

"Wha-you visited him?" Wendy's complexion turned pale. "Oh, my dear Sven! I knew you'd do it! My persuasion skills worked after all!" She ran over, giving him a hug. Sven smiled and walked off. When he was out of earshot, Wendy turned to the girls. "You have a wonderful father! I don't know how you'll ever pay him back! Or me, for that matter. Now you'll all meet Crawford! Even you, Lavana! He may fall for you!"

"Oh," Lavana flipped her hair dramatically, "I am the youngest, but I'm also the tallest. I'm sure he'd fall for me before any of my sisters!"

**Not the best, I know. But I have hopes for this!**

**Here's all the characters introduced in this chapter:**

**Mr. Sven Bennet: father of five daughters and married to Wendy Bennet, who he likes to tease.**

**Mrs. Wendy Bennet: mother of five daughters and married to Sven Bennet, who teases her. She tends to be somewhat of a goof, crazy even.**

**Luana Bennet: (19) The oldest of the Bennet sisters, Luana is a humble, quiet girl who is too sweet for her own good.**

**Kate Bennet:(18) The second oldest, Kate spends much of her time with her older sister and best friend, who is yet to be introduced to this story! (although, I did hint at who she was...) She keeps a firm opinion on those she meets, and doesn't change those very often.**

**Charlotte Bennet: (16) The third oldest, Charlotte has no interest in guys or anything like that. She prefers the company of books and knowledge. (I was going to make Rhythmi be Mary's replacement, but I'm saving her for later)**

**Linda Bennet: (15) A flirt who, like her little sister, enjoys the company of men above all else, particularly rangers.**

**Lavana Bennet: (14) Another flirt, moreso than her sister, even. **

**I felt Lavana was most suited to Lydia's personality, so I kept her around for that. Sorry to anyone who disagrees.**

**Well, here's the first chapter! Give me your feedback, please and thankyou!**


	2. First Impressions are crucial

**This story hasn't recieved much appreciation, but I am convinced to still publish more! I'm having a lot of fun writing this!**

Days following, Luana and Kate said their goodbyes and made their way back to Vientown, home of the base they'd grown to love. It didn't take any time at all before the girls got back into schedule and were called by Barlow, their base leader.

"I'm sure you two heard the news about Netherfield base?" Barlow asked, receiving two nods from the rangers.

"Well, I felt that since they are new to Almia that we ought to give them a kind welcome! I've invited them and some other rangers for a formal dinner of sorts. It will be next week, and you two better wear something nice. I don't want to misrepresent this base by bringing my two rangers in their uniforms to a 'fancy' event. Got it?"

Kate and Luana nodded, quickly sharing awkward glances with each other then smiling back at their leader.

"Good. The dinner will be next week." Barlow said. "Now, as for today…."

Just moments following, Kate and Luana were rushing towards MarineCave.

"Hey, do you see anything strange Kate?"

"No," Kate replied. Looking around, there was nothing out of the ordinary. What had Barlow been blabbing off about?"

"Me neith- Kate watch out!"

Kate spun around, only seconds before a charging Zubat could attack her. Ducking, she could see the confused pokemon stop itself before charging into the cave wall.

"It looks like the Zubat's going to come back. Kate, you might have to befriend it!"

"Got it," Kate replied, reading her styler. Sure enough, the Zubat flung around, ready to charge again, but Kate was ready. With a simple twirl of her hands, the styler spun circles around the pokemon, and the Zubat calmed down. As Kate fixed her styler back on her wrist, she slowly began to approach the Zubat, who flew away from her right away.

"That's odd," Luana murmured. "You did the capture properly. Shouldn't the Zubat have been friended? If it was, it wouldn't have run away like that."

"Maybe that's what Barlow meant when he said that strange things were going on in this cave," Kate replied to her confused sister.

"Could be. Let's move on."

The two girls trekked further inside the cave, and before long found something odd not far from them.

Planted on the ground was a strange looking machine-a mailbox maybe? Near the top of it, a black disk spun wildly. As Kate focused on it, she found herself getting dizzy. Could this be what was causing the Pokemon pain?

"Luana, let's try to destroy this thing. I think it might have something to do with the confused pokemon." Kate stated.

"Alright. But how?" As Kate thought silently, Luana did so aloud. "Well, it's red. Fire types are red! Let's try to use a water type on the machine!"

As Kate chuckled softly at her sister's logic, the two went further in the cave on the search of a water type.

"There!" Luana called, pointing. Sure enough, there was a Gastrodon sliding in circles.

"He doesn't look like he's in pain," Kate noted. Luana nodded.

"Maybe he's too far from that machine," Luana guessed. Kate shrugged. Little else made sense, so she agreed with her sister. Taking only moments to complete the capture, Kate sensed that Luana was right. The Gastrodon didn't run off. Instead, it followed Kate dutifully.

As the girls walked back to the red machine, they noticed the surrounding pokemon walking about in pain.

"Gastrodon!" Kate cried. "Target Clear!"

The Gastrodon slid over to the machine, and after readying a water gun attack, fired away. Kate and Luana watched with interest as the machine spluttered and fell apart, just like that.

"Should we take it to the base?"

"We could try," Kate replied, "but it looks too heavy. Should we ask Big Bertha?"

"Sounds like a plan," Luana smiled. I'll call her. You go on to the base and fill Barlow in."

"So the pokemon were in pain because of the plantation of some red machine? And you destroyed it, and the pokemon were fine afterwards?" Barlow summarized.

"Yup! That's the whole of it."

"Well, where's the machine?"

As if on cue, the door to the base barged open and in came the heavy muscled Big Bertha, heaving the machine over her shoulder. Kate was impressed. That woman was really strong.

"Woah," Elaine, the mechanic muttered. "I want to take it apart!"

As Elaine charged forward for the machine, Barlow leaped in front. "No Elaine, I think we should call Professor Hastings and fill him in. You'll have to put a hold on dismantling it for now."

As Elaine sulked, Barlow turned back to the rangers. "I think you two ought to take a rest. There isn't anything planned for the rest of the day, unless you'd like to take an extra patrol."

"Actually," Kate replied quickly, "taking a rest sounds fine!"

Before Barlow could say another word, Kate rushed towards her room.

It didn't take long for a week to pass, and the dinner party to near. Luana forced Kate to accompany her dress shopping, much to Kate's dismay. In the end Kate settled on a simple white dress with pale gray swirls extending from the hem. Luana herself picked something a bit fancier, a red dress with bright yellow flowers bursting about and a golden belt. As the girls helped Barlow set things up, they found themselves getting somewhat nervous at the thought of finally meeting the well-known Crawford Bingley.

Kate sat down with little else to do. It seemed as though she had waited forever, and was perfectly ready to dismiss herself to her room and stay there, had Barlow not forbidden it.

"Kate?" a voice asked. Looking up, Kate saw a girl coming her way, and smiled the moment she recognized her.

"Rhythmi!" Kate shouted, pulling her childhood friend into a hug. "I didn't know you were coming!"

"Well," Rhythmi said, "I got the invitation from Barlow. You know I normally dislike this sort of thing, but I haven't seen you since RangerSchool! So I accepted."

"Kate! Rhythmi!" Luana skipped over. "They're here!"

The three girls headed to the entrance, watching the doors open and a small group of people walked in. One with untamed brown hair, almost like an afro, one with spiky red hair, and a girl with short auburn locks.

"Which of them is Crawford?" Kate asked curiously.

"The taller one with brown hair," Rhythmi replied.

Kate looked confusedly. "How did you know?"

"Who did you think was the operator at Netherfield base?" Rhythmi asked, grinning at the surprised expression of the two girls in front of her. "Anyways, the redhead is Keith Darcy. He's a bit of a show off, if you ask me. Not like Crawford, who's a lot nicer and friendlier. And the girl is Summer Bingley. She's a ranger who had been in the Oblivia region for some time, but came rushing here when she heard her brother was stationed here. Or so I hear."

"I see," Kate murmured. "I think you're right though. Crawford looks friendly, but the other two aren't- arrogant almost."

The three stared in silence watching the three; Crawford, who greeted everyone, Keith, who leaned by a wall and held his head high, and Summer, who stood by Keith in a similar manner.

"Luana! Kate!" Barlow called, walking over to them. "Come greet our guests!"

Waving to Rhythmi, the sisters walked over to Crawford and his 'companions'.

"It's nice to meet new rangers in Almia," Barlow began.

"It's nice to be here," Crawford replied. "A real pleasure. My name's Crawford, and this is my friend Keith, and my sister, Summer."

"Hello to you all. I'm Barlow, leader of this base, and these two are my rangers-Kate and Luana."

Kate and Luana smiled slightly, their cheeks pale red.

"Nice to meet you," Luana stammered. Crawford smiled, Summer smirked, and Keith pretended not to notice.

"Same," Crawford responded. "Um, well, if you aren't dancing with anyone else, will you dance with me for the next one?"

Kate's eyes widened at this, as did Luana's. Did that mean Crawford liked her? In her head, Kate thought about a partnership of the two in the future, smiling to herself. Luana nodded quickly, blushing more.

"What about you, Keith? Are you going to dance?"

Kate was surprised and almost insulted by her leader's forwardness. Keith looked at him for a moment, before turning away.

"Nah, I don't like to dance," he said, turning off. Summer followed intently.

"Uh, okay," Barlow said, walking off. With nothing much to do, Kate returned to Rhythmi, who she stayed with for the most of the evening.

After a good hour, Rhythmi was asked to dance by some ranger, and Kate, with little else to do, strolled the room.

"Keith, have some manners. If you're at a party, you should dance!"

Kate listened as Crawford scolded his friend, smirking slightly.

"I don't see why I have to," Keith folded his arms. "So what if I'm at a dance? Your sister is off dancing with some ranger, and I see no reason for me to dance with anyone I don't know."

"I've been dancing with that one ranger, Luana. I don't know her," Crawford pointed out.

"You were introduced to her," Keith countered.

"So were you. You were introduced to Luana and Kate. If I'm dancing with Luana, you can dance with Kate!" Crawford said, smiling as though he had solved a large issue.

Keith looked over at Kate, who immediately looked down at her feet, before turning back to Crawford. "She's okay," he finally said, "but I'm still not interested. Crawford, I'm not going to dance and that's my final answer. Go back to Luana, you're wasting your time with me."

Offended, Kate walked over to Rhythmi, who she filled in on what had just happened. The two sat together, talking until the dinner was over and most people were leaving.

Kate rushed to her room, happy to be able to change from her dress into her pajamas. Lying down in bed, she looked over at her sister, who couldn't help but smile.

"Did you have a good time?" Kate questioned.

"Oh, yeah, I guess," Luana murmured, still smiling as she crawled into bed.

**Characters introduced:**

**Rhythmi Lucas (18): Friend of Kate's since their childhood. Rhythmi is the operator of Netherfield Base.**

**Crawford Bingley (19): Friendly ranger of Netherfield Base, Crawford is the friend of Keith Darcy and brother of Summer Bingley.**

**Keith Darcy (18): Picky and arrogant, another ranger of Netherfield Base.**

**Summer Bingley (17): Similar in character to Keith, a third ranger of Netherfield Base. (I've always imagined Summer having a crush on Keith and being jealous of Kate, secret revealed!)**


	3. Fires and bad guys and other fun things

**I'm soo sorry for the late chapter! It's been almost ten days!**

**I could say I've been busy with school, and would be honest by doing so, but that doesn't cut it. **

**Anyways, here's the chapter! It's the longest so far! Five pages!**

The following days proceeded slowly and simply. The red machine found in Marine cave was to be left alone until Professor Hastings would return from his trip, much to Elaine's dismay. Aside from the average patrol, nothing interesting really happened.

Luana was ever cheerful, but that was to be expected of her. Kate did her best to keep up with her sister, with less enthusiasm in hand. Days passed simply in the base but not without smiles and laughter.

One morning however, Kate woke up to smell something out of the ordinary. Was it…smoke? Yes, it almost as if something had been ignited…

Getting ready and walking down the steps, Kate could feel the smell getting stronger. Opening the door to the main room, she found Elaine the mechanic walking about in confusion.

"Did your sister make breakfast?" She asked when noticing Kate. In response the ranger simply shrugged. Luana was well known for her not so fantastic cooking skills, to put it nicely, but Kate hadn't seen her all morning. Hearing the door open behind her, Kate found a sleepy Barlow come from it.

"Anybody smell smoke…?" He mumbled. All three looked in confusion. What was the smell? And where was Luana?

It took seconds for both questions to be answered. The entrance door burst open, letting in a frantic Luana.

"Fire!" She shouted. "Fire in Vien forest!" And with that she ran back out. Kate, full of surprise, followed her sister out the door. Sure enough, the forest looming at the edge of Vientown was set aflame.

Running inside the forest and ignoring the heavy smoke, Kate burst in, looking immediately for a Water type.

"Kate!" Luana shouted. Kate came running over, eyes full of shock and worry. A fallen branch had fallen on Luana's leg, and as Kate tried her hardest to lift it, it wouldn't budge.

"Worry about me later. I think there's a Blastoise deeper in the forest that may know rain dance. Douse out the flames then help me with this," Luana instructed. Kate wanted to object, but she knew better not to, with the flames spreading and reaching both Pueltown and Vientown. Rushing ahead, Kate looked frantically for the Blastoise, the heat beginning to exhaust her. After a good while of running, she finally found the pokemon, thrashing about near a river.

"Blastoise!" She shrieked. "Capture on!"

It took her longer to complete the capture, with the Blastoise in a fit of rage, but after a while it was finally befriended. Calling the Blastoise over to her, Kate instructed her companion to use rain dance, which he did quickly. Immediately the sky was filled with rain clouds, and drops of rain spilled from the sky. Before Kate had a chance to take a sigh of relief, the fires were put out.

Now came the next problem. Luana.

Kate ran back to where her sister had been. With the help of the nearby pokemon, she finally managed to pry the branch off her sister's leg.

"Ow," Luana muttered, trying to get up. Her leg was dented almost, the branch had done a number on her.

"I don't think you'll make it to the base like this," Kate muttered.

"Hello? Who's there?" Kate looked up, seeing Summer Bingley coming their way. "Oh my gosh! Luana!" Summer ran over and helped her up. "I don't think she'll be able to get back to Vientown like this. The entrance to Pueltown is up ahead, anyways. She can stay there until she gets better. And you," she looked at Kate, "You should go tell your base leader about Luana." Before Kate could protest, Luana was being helped to Pueltown with help from Summer. Kate shrugged and made her way back to Vientown. She could see a figure walking in the forest, and with little to do aside from going to the base, Kate followed him for a while. Noticing this, the man quickened his pace and began to run away.

"That's odd," Kate muttered, "no one ever runs from a ranger."

They say curiosity killed the skitty. But Kate was no skitty. Running in the direction of the man, Kate managed to corner him. The man looked around, gulping as he realized there was no escape.

"Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to come with me," Kate called, Pulling out her ranger ID. Gulping, the man followed. The two arrived in town as the sun began to droop in the sky.

"I see. That's what happened," Barlow muttered. "Well, I'm sure we can trust Netherfield base to take care of her. Incidentally, who's this?" Barlow pointed at the man who Kate had brought back.

"I found him in Vien forest. He was running away when I approached him."

"And what's your name sir?" Barlow called at the stranger, who shyed away into a corner. "Well, if you don't give us a name to call you by, I'll have to suggest one myself. How about Oil Stinker Creep? You smell a lot like oil as it is."

"Leader, you fail at comedy," Kate smirked. "Be nice. How about Ollie? It sounds a bit like oil."

Looking at the man, Kate could make out a small smile. "It's settled. Ollie it is."

Barlow walked over and tied the man up, to Kate's surprise. "If he had something to do with the fire earlier, he could explain it to us." He reasoned. Turning back to Ollie, he spoke, "You'll be free once you decide to talk."

Kate, tired and about to fall over, made her way to her room, with no objection from Barlow, and fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.

The next morning, as Kate walked into the kitchen to make breakfast, she noticed Barlow sitting, drinking a cup of coffee.

"Morning Kate," he muttered, noticing her. She nodded and proceeded to make a piece of toast. As she did, she thought about the last time Luana had done so, and, long story short, the base was evacuated for safety reasons. Thinking of Luana made her uneasy. It felt weird for the first time in years to be without her.

"Um, Barlow sir, if you don't mind, I'd like to visit Luana." Kate mentioned, buttering her toast.

"Why? I don't see any reason for that. You have patrols to take care of," Barlow replied.

"But, if I finished early, could I visit her?"

"Well, alright." Kate grinned as her base leader rolled his eyes. Bursting out of the base, Kate leaped into action, completing a full patrol and completing the quests of the troubled. Whether it took her minutes or hours, Kate couldn't tell. She was charging off in the direction of Pueltown, to see her beloved sister.

Kate rarely visited the town, only once or twice when quests took her there. Most of her time was spent in Vientown, or on breaks in ChicoleVillage. She wasn't very familiar with the setup, so finding the base in the town was a bit of a problem for her. Walking up to a curiously dressed man, with pink hair and a tourist top, Kate started to ask for directions.

"Um, sir, could you-" The man looked at her in surprise.

"Ranger! We could use your help!" Without giving Kate a chance to respond, he continued. "My name's Brook, but that's not the problem. See, these guys, placed these weird mailboxes around, and then the pokemon started to act all strange. I'm wondering if it has anything to do with the strangers, but, I'm no ranger, and I ought not to get myself into trouble. Usually I take care of things, but I think I can't take care of this. Can I count on you to get rid of them?"

"Sure," Kate replied, overwhelmed. She had come to see her sister, and was given a mission right off the bat.

"Hey, Brook" Kate turned, and out of a building came Crawford Bingley. "Oh, hi Kate! Have you come to check on your sister?" Kate nodded. "That's very kind of you. I'm sure she'd appreciate it. Anyways, Booker, have you seen those mailboxes? Ever since they were planted the pokemon haven't been very friendly. I'm going to see what's happening.

"Well, take this ranger with you. I've asked her to do just that," Brook motioned to Kate.

"Alright. That okay with you, Kate?"

"Okay," she replied, and the two ran off.

It didn't take long to find a 'mailbox'. The first one was no more that 10 feet away from where Kate stood. Looking closely, the machine looked oddly familiar…

"How do you suppose we destroy it?" Crawford said, inspecting the machine.

"Target Clear," Kate replied, deep in thought. That was it! The machine in front of her was the same as the one from Marine Cave!

"We could do a target clear. But what pokemon would be useful?" Crawford thought about it, while Kate ran ahead. "Wha-Kate! Wait for me!"

* * *

"Capture complete!" Kate called. The Bidoof followed her eagerly. Crawford ran over, finally caught up.

"Gah," Crawford panted, taking great gasps. "You're fast! Why'd you run off like that?"

"Follow me!" Kate replied, running back to the machine. Groaning, Crawford followed.

Once back where the machine was, Kate performed a target clear. Immediately the machine fell apart, just like the one from before.

"Woah," was all Crawford could say. "Genius! How did you know what to do?"

Kate smiled. "I'm a ranger, remember?"

Looking at Crawford, Kate noticed someone behind him. No, there wasn't just one. A small group of identically matched men walked towards the rangers, heads drooping.

"After all the work we did to place the machines and set them up, and now the rangers are already destroying them?" One of them muttered.

"Yeah! They have no compassion for the poor Dim Sun grunts who were forced to lift them and all." Another whined.

"Sounds awful," Kate remarked, hiding a laugh, "That the rangers would do something like that to you all. If you don't mind my asking, why did you put them there in the first place?"

"Easy!" The Dim Sun grunt looked up with a smile, which quickly faded. "R-rangers? Guys, that's a ranger! No, there's two rangers!"

In alarm, the other men looked up in surprise, then ran away screaming. Kate fell over laughing. Crawford himself cracked a grin.

"Kate, I have a plan," Crawford said when Kate had calmed down. "I'll destroy the other machines, and you tail those guys. Got it?"

"Okay," Kate replied. Getting up, she ran over in the direction the men had run off in. Before long, Kate was walking in the alleyways of Pueltown, and she was lost.

Looking around, everything looked the same. Each building mirrored the next. But going back wasn't a choice either. She had come too far in, and was deep in the darker part of town.

"And then, there were these two rangers! One girl, and one guy with a messed up hairdo. We ran outta there good."

Kate flinched. Who had said that? Placing her ear to the wall, Kate could hear more voices.

"Sounds tough. Well, at least we did our job. Whether they're ruined or not isn't our fault. We just got payed to plant them, so we won't be in any trouble."

"Right. Where's the captain?"

"He said he'd be at the harbor."

Slowly the voices begun to fade. Kate decided to follow, soon smelling the sea air. Had she reached the harbor?

It looked like it. Piers were ahead, with boats docked in the water. Kate noticed the men from before walking towards one ship.

_If you don't confront them now, _Kate thought_, they'll get away. _Heart thumping, Kate leaped out of hiding.

"Hey! You guys!" She shouted. The men looked around in surprise.

"I-It's that ranger from before!" One cried. Calming himself, he continued. "Well, miss Ranger, we aren't bad guys, that's for sure! We weren't doing any experiments! In fact, we were just going for a swim!"

"Really?" another guy asked. "But, then why were we told that the gigaremos needed to be planted for the expirement?"

"You fool!" the first guy smacked the second. "Why'd you tell the ranger that?"

"Oh, my bad!" The other shouted. "Well, let's send a pokemon out to attack her then! Toxicroak, go!"

A blue pokemon leaped from the roof of a one-story building and charged at Kate. Pulling out her styler, Kate began the capture, creating the loops with some difficulty. Eventually, she managed to convey her feelings to the Toxicroak, who ran away.

"Gah! We don't have anymore pokemon!" The first man ran onto a black ship.

"Dim Sun, retreat!" The second called, following. All the other men ran behind and onto the ship.

"NO!" a voice cried. Turning around, Kate could see Brook, the man from before, running after the retreating boat. Leaping into the water, Brook swam frantically, with no success.

"Was that Brook?"

Kate turned around. Crawford managed a chuckle. "Brook's got a 'you let me take care of things' attitude." He explained. "I wondered why he never became a ranger. But then, he does take pride in his job maintaining the drawbridge up north. Anyways, those knuckleheads from before; did they get away?"

Kate nodded, sulking. "All I was able to do was slow them down, I guess. They had planned their escape beforehand, though."

"It's fine. I doubt that's the last we'll see of them. We'll stomp 'em good, eventually. Look, here comes Brook."

Sure enough, sandals clenched between his teeth, a panting Brook managed to climb up onto the peir. "I tried to follow them, but their boat was too fast. Who knew boats could outswim people?"

Kate managed a grin. Brook shrugged and walked off.

"Well, Kate, it's getting late. You should stay at our base. I'm sure Luana would love to see you!"

Kate accepted Crawford's offer, eager to see her sister. When they reached the base and Crawford had directed her to her sister, Kate felt her heart leap with joy.

"Oh Luana," she said, "You won't believe what's happened today."

**So, I have decided to include the plotlines of both stories in this! Is is dangerous? Yes. Risky? Yes. Will I mess up sooner or later? Probably. **

**But, I'm taking the risk!**

**Since last time, I put Luana in the Marine Cave event, I decided to put Crawford in the Pueltown event! It's a fair swap.**

**New Characters:**

**Brook: Mr. Hurst. Because why not?**

**Okay, I'm done for the day. Enjoy, review, follow, favorite, do one of those things maybe?**


	4. Meeting some more people

**On the minus, I haven't been active lately.**

**On the plus, the chapters are pretty long.**

**On another note...**

***shoots confetti in the air and hangs up birthday banner***

**My birthday was recently! yaay!**

**Okay, let's move on. Chapter...commence!**

"Luana!" Kate cried. "Your leg, it's healed!"

Luana smiled, twirling before her sister. "Yep! Now I can go back to Vientown!"

_Good riddance, _Kate thought privately. Crawford had been kind to the sisters, and it was always a pleasure to see Rhythmi, but Summer, and even worse, Keith, hadn't been very hospitable. He always looked down upon them, and considered them weak. Summer simply agreed with whatever Keith said, always focused on him.

"Well," Crawford said with sadness, "I shall be upset to see you two go. I had a lot of fun while you two were here! Say my hellos to Barlow, okay?" the girls nodded, waving before plunging inside VienForest.

Kate ran through the fields of trees and clearings. The scenery has been altered by the fire, but overall was the same. With glee, she charged, beating her sister by a longshot.

"Kate, look out!" Luana cried. Thinking it was a trick for Luana to catch up, Kate ignored the warning, running into a man.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Kate apologized, getting up immediately. The man brushed dust off his blue coat. In fact, everything about the man was blue. His hair, pants, shoes, even his eyes.

"Nah, I should have looked where I was watching. My name's Ice. What about you?"

"Kate," she said, blushing. "This is my sister, Luana." Luana smiled, before gasping.

"Gosh Kate, slow down! I can't keep up, especially when my leg is still healing!"

"Oh," Kate muttered. "Sorry."

"Well," Ice said, "I better leave. Nice meeting you two." Before anyone could say another word, the mysterious man of blue was gone.

"Well," Luana said, breaking through Kate's sudden trance, "Let's get back to the base."

Shaking her head, Kate smiled. "Right."

The door to the base opened, and the girls were greeted by Barlow, who had initially been taken by surprise.

"Well, it's nice to see you two again! Luana, I'm glad you've recovered. How're you feeling?"

"Ready to take on a patrol," Luana boasted. Kate laughed.

"That so? I'll hold you up to that. Kate, you joining her?"

"Sure," Kate shrugged.

"Alright. I hate to see you to leave right after getting back, but then again, I wasn't the one to ask. Luana offered."

Just as quickly as they entered, the Bennet sisters walked back out of the building, patrolling the forest. Nothing seemed to be out of the order around VienForest, and Nabiki beach was peaceful as well.

"Should we try Chicole Villiage?" Luana suggested.

"Okay," Kate agreed. The two went no farther on Chicole path before having two giggling girls run towards them.

"Kate! Luana!" They cried.

"Hi, Linda and Lavana! How've you two been?" Luana smiled at her sisters.

"Never mind that!" Lavana snapped. "Mom wants to see you two! Now!"

Before getting a second to argue, the two were marched down the path to their home.

"Kate! Luana!" Wendy cried, rushing to greet her daughters. "I have important news!"

* * *

Once everyone was seated at the table, Wendy began talking. "In a week, we will have a guest with us! I expect you all to be on your best behavior, as this is someone from Altru! His name is Isaac, and-"

"Isaac?" Kate almost choked on her food. I know him! Why is he coming here, though?"

"Mind your manners, Kate," Wendy warned. "He's a member of Altru! He can do what he wants. Now, I'll let Barlow know you two will be taking your break a little early to spend time with us, okay?" Both girls nodded, though Kate did so unwillingly. She had just returned to the Base, and was leaving it again?

"Good," Wendy smiled. "Now, I wanted to ask you girls about that dinner your leader had. What was Crawford like?"

* * *

Days passed with little happening through them. Thankfully, for Kate's nerves, nothing was happening at the base that she was missing out on.

Kate sat quietly on her bed, pulling uneven threads out of her shirt. She was bored out of her mind. She was hungry for action, which she was being deprived of.

"Kate!" a voice called from downstairs. "He's here!"

Walking down, Kate found Isaac, the genius from Ranger school, sitting at the dinner table and talking with her mother. At noticing her, Isaac stood up, blushing faintly.

"Kate! Good to see you! How've you been?" He asked.

"I'm fine," Kate replied. "You?"

"Never been better. Altru is a wonderful place to work!"

"Well, I'm happy for you," Kate smiled.

"Luana! Charlotte!" Kate's mother cried. "Come here and help me set the table!" Looking over at Kate and Isaac, she smiled softly. "I'll leave you two alone for just a second.

At this, Kate began to understand what her mother was aiming for. Her mother saw her as sad and lonely, and then she met a guy working for Altru. Typical of her mother. Kate groaned softly.

"Your sister Charlotte told me about Partner Farm," Isaac mentioned. "Could you show me around?"

"Sure," Kate shrugged, opening the door to the house. The two walked out, strolling the fields of Partner farm, the farm owned by Kate's family.

"So," Isaac asked casually, "How's life as a ranger?"

"Good," Kate replied.

"Really?" Don't you think it's scary, having the risk of being in danger? You'd rather take the risk?"

"Sure. That's what makes it fun."

"I see."

"What about Altru?"

Isaac smiled; he'd been waiting for the question. "It is a spectacular place to work! The fellow scientists are kind, and the work is thrilling! I've been working on a device that promotes the friendship between pokemon and people recently. But I do miss my school friends from time to time."

"I miss you guys too! But I've gotten to spend a lot more time with my older sister, Luana, so I've been fine, I guess." Looking at the sky, Kate watched the sun start to sink. "It'll be night soon. Let's get back to the house."

The eight (including Isaac) sat down at ate dinner, which that night had been steak and mashed potatoes. Leave it to Wendy to leave an expensive dinner for that night.

Kate stared silently at her food, not talking much. Isaac and Sven talked a good deal, though. About Altru, and little else.

As the dinner passed, Kate noticed Wendy winking at her continuously. She tried to ignore it, which took a great deal of patience. When she could take it no longer, she excused herself to her room, which, to her dismay, persuaded Isaac to follow.

"You alright?" He asked curiously.

"Fine," Kate replied, "just tired. I think I'm going to sleep early."

"Okay," Isaac replied, walking back down the stairs.

Finally alone, Kate fell asleep peacefully.

The morning following, Kate woke up early, pulling on her ranger outfit and styler.

"I'm off to the base," she announced at the breakfast table. "I've been absent for too long."

"Then I'll go with you," Luana claimed. As she left the table to dress, Isaac stood up

"I feel," Isaac raised his voice, "that I have stayed a little longer than I ought to have. I'll accompany you girls to Vientown, and then I'll go on my own to Altru."

The three walked outside the house, enough awkwardness between them to befit all the rangers in Almia, and that was saying something. Kate tried to ignore Isaacs stares, and looked out into nothingness. Eventually however, a figure formed in her eyesight.

"Ice?" Kate whispered, watching the dashing man in blue approach her.

"Kate! So nice to see you!" Ice exclaimed. "And your sister as well!"

Isaac narrowed his eyes. "Ice? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at Altru?"

"Well, hello Isaac!" Ice flipped his hair dramatically, and Kate did what she could to avoid blushing. "I'm here to speak with the lovely Kate, if you don't mind."

"Well, if that's the case," Isaac mumbled, "I'm off to Altru."

"Can you tell Rhythmi I said hi?" Kate asked.

"Yeah! Tell Crawford, Summer, and Keith as well!" Luana cried after him.

"Did you say Keith?" Ice asked, looking somewhat surprised.

"Yeah. He's the arrogant new ranger in Pueltown." Kate folded her arms crossly.

"I see. Can I talk with you in private Kate?" Ice asked

"Sure!" Luana cried. "I'll see you later, Kate!" Kate waved at her sister as she ran off towards the base. Once she was out of eyesight, Kate turned back to Ice, with sincere interest.

"Do," Ice paused for a moment. "Do you know Keith well?"

"As much as I'd like to," Kate replied, smiling softly. "I stayed in the same base as him for a couple of days, and I'm convinced there's nothing more to his character than arrogance." Kate looked at Ice with curiosity. "You know him, don't you? I saw that uncomfortable look you had when Luana mentioned him," Kate asked quietly.

"Smart one, you are." Ice smiled. "Yes, I know Keith. I've known him all my life." As Kate stayed quiet, listening interestedly, Ice took the chance to continue. "You see, Kate, my father was the operator to his father, a wonderful ranger. When my great dad died, Keith's dad took me in like a son. He seemed very interested in me, and loved me, I think. He had decided, upon his death, I would be given admittance in the ranger school, and to take his place as a ranger. But," Ice looked up sorrowfully, "when he did actually leave this world, Keith spread lies about me. He told everyone I was a criminal waiting for a chance to take over the world. Everyone believed him, and I was refused admittance at the RangerSchool for having a 'criminal record'."

"Keith did that?" Kate looked shocked. "That's truly awful! How could he just ignore his father's wishes? And yet, he gets to be a ranger himself! He deserves to be disgraced in public!"

"Maybe someday he will be, but I won't be the one to shame him. Until I can forget his father's kindness, I couldn't do a thing against him."

"You're too kind," Kate said sweetly. "If I were you, I wouldn't be half as kind. Every body would know of Keith the liar."

Ice smiled. "My life isn't too bad as you think, Kate. I have a job at Altru, with lot's of nice people! It's not shabby at all."

The two stayed quiet for some time, not talking.

"What about her sister?" Kate asked finally. "I heard Keith mention her once."

"I feel terrible to talk badly of any Darcy, but she is much like her brother. She's grown very arrogant."

"I see," Kate said frowning.

"Well," Ice said, "I must be going. I'm sure your sister is waiting for you as it is."

"Oh, right!" Kate smiled. "Well, it was nice talking to you."

"The pleasure was all mine," Ice said, bowing and running off.

**Those of you who know Pride and Prejudice know what's coming soon. One of my favorite scenes from the book!**

**I'm not even kidding, the coming up part, no spoilers for those who don't know it, when I read it for the first time, I jumped up and started to scream in excitement. My family came charging over, shouting, "What happened?"**

**Yeah, that's my life.**

**Okay, have a great day! And happy late Thanksgiving! I'm thankful for having you awesome readers!**


	5. Almia Ball!

**Welcome to another fabulous episode of...this story!**

**I have been inactive for over a week, I know. But, if it makes you all feel better, I have been writing longer chapters! So..yay?**

**Anyways, without further ado, here's the chapter!**

"Kate! Kate!" Luana cried, running over to her approaching sister. "Kate, I have news!"

"What?" Kate asked, curious as to why her sister was so excited.

"Kate, read this!" Luana thrust an envelope into Kate's hands, which she opened quickly.

_'My dearest Barlow, Luana, and Kate, of Vientown Base,'_ the letter inside read,

_'You are cordially invited to attend Almia's first Ranger Ball, hosted by the Leader of Pueltown Base, Crawford Bingley. Should you accept this invitation, we shall expect you at Ranger Hall in Pueltown, on the 26__th__ of November.'_

"Kate, isn't that exciting! Even the members of Altru are attending. And Barlow has told Crawford already that we're going to go!"

Kate looked up, unsure of whether to be happy or not. If the members of Altru were invited, then Ice would be there, surely, but if Keith would be there, would he shoo Ice away?

"Kate?" Luana looked oddly at her sister. "Kate are you okay?"

"Hm?" Kate looked up. "Oh, I'm fine." Before Kate could say anything else, she heard a soft buzz come from her styler.

"What's that?" Luana asked. Kate inspected the small screen on her styler.

"A voice message from Isaac," she responded. Pressing the button, the two listened as the recording began to play.

_"Kate?"_ Isaac's voice asked_. "You know about the Ranger Ball, correct? Well, if I may say without haste, I would like to reserve the opportunity to dance with you there. Is that alright? Thanks."_ And a soft buzz signified the message to be at it's end.

It felt like only seconds passed between the return to Vientown and the Ranger Ball, even though it had been two weeks. Kate had, to her dislike, been forced by Luana and Barlow to dress in a formal gown for the event. In the end she had decided on strapless red gown with a black and sliver belt, which Luana had remarked 'you look beautiful' on. As Kate walked inside the Ranger hall, which had been built inside the building that once served as the Ranger Depot (which was no longer necessary, with a base now available instead). A small bridge led from the door to the hall itself, which hovered above a still stream of water. Pools of flowers dangled from the walls, and there was, instead of common flooring, a large patch of grass. All lights were dimmed except for one large one in the center.

"Luana! Kate!" a voice called. Kate looked in delight as Crawford approached them. "I hope you enjoy the décor. We wanted to give it a bright spring theme, since we didn't want to wait until it was just that outside. How do you think we did?"

"Amazing," was all Kate could say. Smiling, Crawford invited the sisters to walk with him about the Hall.

Looking around, Kate finally rested her eyes on Rhythmi, who was sitting by her lonesome.

"Rhythmi!" she called. Seeing her friend, Rhythmi ran over to give Kate a hug. "I have so much to tell you!"

"Kate!" A figure approached. Kate frowned as she recognized the figure to be Isaac's.

"Rhythmi, you remember Isaac, don't you?" Kate asked unhappily.

"Yeah! Hi Isaac!"

"It's wonderful to see you again, Rhythmi. Now, Kate, you made me a promise…"

Kate huffed as she followed Isaac to where everyone else was dancing. Awkward silence was present through out the whole dance, and Kate was relieved to return to Rhythmi

The two talked for a good long while, and Kate began to zone out, thinking of this and that. Hearing a voice, of who she presumed to be Rhythmi's, Kate immediately said yes, in hopes that Rhythmi had asked a question. Focusing her mind back to where she was, she saw Keith walk by her.

"What's he doing over here?" Kate asked, squinting her eyes at him.

"Kate? Did you actually accept him?" Rhythmi opened her eyes in surprise.

"Did I….what?"

"He…asked you to dance, and you…you actually said yes! I never thought you of all people would do that!"

"I… agreed to dance with him?" Kate looked mortified. "But-"

"Never mind that Kate!" Rhythmi shoved her over. "The next dance is starting! You can't just leave Keith hanging like that! Go!"

Still surprised, Kate walked over to Keith, facing him. As the next song began to play, and the two began to dance, Kate looked silently at Keith, the man who had been her least favorite on Earth since their first meeting. His stiff, arrogant expression wasn't as rough. In fact, Keith looked like he would smile. He looked…like he was enjoying this. But…how?

"Well Keith," Kate finally spoke, "I'm sure, unless you'd like this dance to just be awkward, that we should talk."

Keith looked at her silently, not replying.

"It seems like everyone is enjoying themselves," Kate said, trying again. Keith smiled-or what ever that mouth motion had been.

"Is it a rule, that I should talk while dancing?" he finally said.

"Well, it depends. With a dance as long as this one may turn out to be, it might be better that we do."

"Are you talking to please yourself, or me?"

"Both, I guess." Kate looked around. "I think you, like me, don't mind talking, so long as the whole room doesn't stop to listen."

"I don't know if I've explained myself enough that you would know if that were true about me, and you don't seem that way yourself."

Kate stayed silent for a moment, trying to make sense of what Keith had just said. In a very formal way, he had said 'you're wrong'. Was that how the people of Fiore lived? Were they taught to be formal, even when disagreeing? Maybe that would dampen their arrogance a little, Kate supposed.

"You're sister arrived back safetly, I see," Keith remarked, gesturing at Luana.

"That's right. In fact, on the way back, we made a new friend, whose name is Ice. Do you know him?"

Keith paused and looked surprised. Kate smirked slightly.

"Ice is good at making friends, he has that going for him," Keith finally replied, "but he loses then just like that."

"Well, I know he lost your friendship, in a way that will probably affect him all his life." Kate emphasized. She looked, with triumph, at the furiosity Keith tried to hide.

"Well, well, well!"

Both Kate and Keith turned to see Barlow coming their way. "I never expected to see the two of you dancing together! It's nice to see, for sure. I hope I'll get to see it again!" And with that he walked off quicker than he had come. Kate ignored her embarrassment, as best as she could.

"I don't remember what we were talking about." Keith said.

"We weren't really talking at all. We've tried two subjects at least, both of which ended. I don't think there really is much to say."

Keith seemed to think otherwise. "What do you think about books?" he asked.

"I doubt we read the same books. You and I are very different people."

Silence bloomed between the two, taking a long rest before leaving again. Kate and Keith stared at one another during this pause.

"I think," said Kate, "That you once said that you hardly ever forgave. That your hatred was near impossible to escape once fallen in-or, something like that. Is that right?"

"That is right."

"And you never allow yourself to become prejudiced?"

"Hopefully not. Why are you asking?"

Kate smiled. "I'm trying to make a mental sketch of your character."

"And how is that going along?"

"I'm not sure. I've heard many different things about you, and I don't know right from wrong."

As the music finally came to a stop, and the dance was over, Kate excused herself to get a drink and talk with her sister. Before long, the evening was through, and the girls walked with their leader back to the base.

Days passed fairly well. Patrols were taken, now and again, and occasional checks to Marine cave to observe the pokemon, who seemed to be recovering from their headaches from the red machine were also taken. Kate received an e-mail ten days following the Almia Ball, from her mother, who requested her and Luana home immediately.

"I'm sorry about our mother, Barlow," Kate said, as she readied to leave the base once more. "It seems that recently she's been calling for us a lot more."

"That's quite alright, Kate," Barlow laughed. The girls waved goodbye, and were off.

Once at the Bennet residence, Kate found herself embarrassed to be coming. Her mother had called them because she was inviting Crawford, Keith, Summer, and Isaac for dinner.

"Kate!" Her mother cried, fixing her hair. "Is the salad ready?"

"Yes, mom." Kate replied glumly.

"Good. Go put on something nice, our guests will be here soon!"

Sighing, Kate got up. Walking to her room, Kate pulled out a pair of jeans and a purple sweater.

"Kate! Where is Luana? I can't find her, and I see Crawford coming down the street!" Wendy burst into the room.

"I'm here, Mom," Luana came in, tying her hair in a ponytail, which didn't work too well with her short hair.

"Kate! Big sister! Guess what?" Charlotte ran into the room. "Mom says I get to play the guitar at dinner! I finally get to show you that song I was practicing!"

"_Oh boy_," Kate thought. Charlotte wasn't very good at playing the guitar. The only song she had learned to play well without mistake was one she'd made herself, which was strumming one key again and again.

"Do you want to hear me practice?" Charlotte asked.

"I'd….love to….but I have to…um…clean the kitchen," Kate stammered. "See ya!"

The guests arrived at the house before long, and Kate stood at the door inviting them in. Once all were in and seated, Kate and Luana left to bring the food. Picking up the salad bowl, Kate began to hear an all too familiar sound.

"Oh no," Kate muttered. "Charlotte's begun to play the guitar…"

Everyone sat quietly, patiently bearing the horrible tune and managing an applause at the end. Kate sighed in relief when she realized the song was over. She'd been biting her lip to try and calm herself down, and her lip was bleeding by the ending point. Wiping the blood from her lip, Kate watched in horror as Charlotte began to play a new tune. Even worse, this time around, Charlotte began to sing, ignoring her off key chords.

Sven almost leaped from his chair as he walked over to his middle child. "Charlotte, I think that might be more than enough entertainment for one evening_. Sit down_." He whispered loudly. Kate looked over at Summer, who whispered something in Keith's ear and giggled.

"Well," Wendy said, smiling, "It's nice you have you all here. It's wonderful to see the man who has fallen in love with my dear Luana for the first time!"

Everyone around the table, aside from Wendy herself, looked in awkward surprise. Both Kate and Luana looked down at their plates in embarrassment. Isaac left for the bathroom, and Wendy continued. "It's no surprise to me, anyways. Everyone tends to fall in love with Luana. She has beautiful looks, doesn't she? Isaac himself seemed to like her, but when I told him someone from Fiore has stepped up to the plate before him, he turned his interests to Kate. I don't think he will have a better partner."

At this, Kate could not take it anymore. Standing up, Kate put her plate in the sink of the kitchen and walked up the stairs to her room.

"Kate," a voice peeped as a figure entered her room. "Kate, Mom didn't mean to embarrass you." Luana sat down by her little sister and began to stroke her brown locks.

"Whether she did or she didn't doesn't matter," Kate huffed. "She embarrassed both of us!"

"I know," Luana said softly. "We'll just have to ignore it. That's the way our mother's always been, right? I don't know why we should let it bother us now."

"I'll try," Kate said after a moment of pause, "but only because you asked. Not for Mom's sake."

Luana smiled and hugged her little sister tightly. It would be too much torture to see Kate truly hurt. She wanted her sister to live a happy, simple life, like she had.

The two went down and mingled with the guests until the Netherfield rangers were ready to return to their base. As the girls waved them good bye, Kate noticed Isaac standing awkwardly behind them, as though waiting for something.

"Kate?" He asked, when the rangers were out of sight. "Is it alright if I talk with you?"

"Sure," Kate shrugged. Isaac smiled and the two walked out onto Partner Farm.

"So," Isaac began, "How have you been?"

"Good."

"I see. Well, Kate, there was something I wanted to ask you."

Kate gulped. There was no way to turn away, and she knew what he was going to ask.

"Kate, Altru is a wonderful place to work. Why, the company is so successful it has thrived for three generations! We have supplied much to all of Almia, I'm happy to say. But there is one thing I lack in my otherwise perfect life." Isaac paused, as if waiting for Kate to ask 'what is that one thing?'. But Kate made no such remark, and Isaac continued. "Life is very lonely. Sure I get to talk to lots of the other scientists and workers, but not so often. I'm isolated in my work. All the other scientists work together. Therefore, I assumed, I should find a good friend of mine to take the job as my assistant. And I looked no further after you came to thought. I like you, Kate, I like you a lot. It would please me beyond anything if you would leave the dangerous Ranger life and come to Altru with me. I'm sure President Hall can make no objection. I've talked with your mother, as well as talked briefly with Barlow, who claims if you would be happier as my assistant, he would allow you to. There is nothing left to do but assure you that you will be very happy working as an assistant. Tell me, Kate, aren't you excited?"

"Isaac," Kate nearly snapped, impatient to stand her ground. "Look. I'm sure what you are saying is a very kind offer. But I have to say what I think is right. I love working as a Ranger! The 'dangers' of the job make it all the more fun! I can't accept your request. I'm sure I wouldn't be happy as an assistant, and I would only make your job miserable. I'm sorry, but that's just how I feel."

Kate felt a little sorry, and expected Isaac to frown and be disappointed at being rejected. But Isaac didn't seem unhappy at all. In fact, he smiled with triumph. "You don't have to feel shy around me Kate."

"I'm not feeling shy! I'm perfectly sure about my decision."

Now Isaac looked somewhat in defeat. "You know, you may never get such a good offer, Kate."

"I know, and I'm thankful for considering me. But I can't accept."

Isaac nodded, and walked off. Kate made her way to the house, unsure of how to feel after the events that had just taken place.

**I know I cut the ending oddly, but I realized I needed to end the chapter, so I ended it like that.**

**Anyways, for those of you who haven't read Pride and Prejudice, we had some surprises in this chapter! Although you may have been expecting at least one, from previous context. I think the 'Isaac proposal' was kind of to be expected.**

**I have to leave, so have a great day y'all! Or you all! Depending on the dialougue you use ;)**


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